Staff News & Updates

Fall 2017

Nydia Araya joined the Campus Life staff as the Graduate Assistant for Leadership. She will pursue a Master’s in Education with a Specialization in Higher Education
Administration. Nydia will work with the new NCBI at LSU team and also be responsible
for components of several Campus Life leadership programs, including the Leadership
LSU capstone experience. Originally from Gretna, Louisiana, Nydia graduated from Loyola
University of New Orleans in May 2017 with a Bachelor’s in Psychology.

Rashard Johnson joined the Campus Life staff as the Graduate Assistant for Activities where he will be responsible for advising some student leaders and committees within
Student Activities Board and LSU Homecoming. Rashard graduated from Florida State
University in August 2017 with a Bachelor’s in Sport Management. He is originally
from Miami, Florida.

Amanda Kuylen joined the Campus Life staff as the Graduate Assistant for Service. She is beginning her second academic year pursuing a Master's in Communication Sciences
and Disorders. Amanda will be responsible for advising components of Volunteer LSU
and Geaux BIG Baton Rouge. Prior to joining LSU for his graduate studies, Amanda served
as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Speech Acoustics Lab. Amanda graduated from
LSU in May 2016 with a Bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is
originally from Abita Springs, Louisiana.

Don Webberjoined the Campus Life staff as the Graduate Assistant for Marketing & Communications where he will pursue a Master's in Mass Communication. He will be responsible for
managing Campus Life social media accounts, assisting graphic designers, handling
marketing deliverables and communications support for events. Prior to joining LSU
for his graduate studies, Don served as a copywriter for Subaru of New England and
as a street team member for CBS Sports radio in Boston. He earned his Bachelor’s in
English with a concentration in Environmental Literature from College of the Holy
Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is originally from Duxbury, Massachusetts.

Chelsie Bickel joined Student Advocacy & Accountability as an Assistant Director on August 15. Chelsie is a North Dakota native and graduate of the University of
North Dakota where she received degrees in Communication and Sociology. Prior to joining
the staff at LSU, Chelsie worked as a chapter consultant for Alpha Chi Omega Fraternity,
Inc. before attending graduate school at North Carolina State University, where she
received her Master’s in Higher Education Administration. Chelsie enjoys spending
time outdoors, trying local cuisine, and traveling in her free time.

Gianna Liantonio joins Student Advocacy & Accountability as a Graduate Assistant this fall, spending the majority of her time in the Accountability area. She is studying in the Higher Education Administration program, after earning
a Bachelor's in History at LSU in December 2016. Gianna is a member of Delta Gamma
sorority and served Gamma Zeta as chapter’s President. In her personal time, she teaches
barre classes and enjoys spending time with her family in the New Orleans area.

Trevor McCrayjoined the LSU Olinde Career Center as the Graduate Assistant for Employment Services/Events. From Baton Rouge, Trevor is a second year student in the Higher Education Administration
Master’s program. He looks forward to helping implement successful events for students
and employers, beginning with the upcoming Career Expo.

Student Services

Hannah Dugas joined the LSU Olinde Career Center as the Graduate Assistant for Career Decision-Making. Hannah recently graduated from LSU with a Bachelor's of Arts in English, with a
concentration in Secondary Education and a minor in Sociology. She is now pursuing
a Master’s in School Counseling. Hannah looks forward to assisting students in their
career journey.

Marla Ebert has joined the LSU Olinde Career Center as the Graduate Assistant for Job Search. Marla is pursuing her Master's in Higher Education Administration. Originally from
Foley, Alabama, she received a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration: Finance
from Auburn University in May 2016. Marla is very excited to be at LSU and to assist
students campus-wide.

Austin Dixon will serve as the Graduate Assistant in Tours & Guest Experience. A North Carolina native, Austin received his BA in Interpersonal and Organizational
Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina and worked for Residence
Life and the Residence Hall Association. Over the past three years, he served as a
college adviser for the national nonprofit College Advising Corps and is now a master’s
student in Higher Education Administration program at LSU. He is excited to be in
a new state and happy to continue his involvement with Residential Life!

Gillian Fosswill be working as the Graduate Assistant for Assessment for this year. She joins us from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, where she
graduated with a Master’s in Public Relations. Prior to that, she obtained a Bachelor’s
in Communications: Public Relations and Journalism from Marist College. Gillian served
as a Graduate Assistant in the Mass Communications Department while at Iona. She has
also worked in public relations for the Fresh Air Fund and other assessment projects.

Dustin Jackson is the Graduate Assistant in Marketing & Communications. As a recent graduate from the University of West Georgia, Dustin moved to Baton
Rouge from Grayson, Georgia. He is studying Kinesiology with a focus in Sport Management
at LSU and loves to explore new cultures, foods, and ideas. Dustin is passionate about
intercollegiate athletics, anime, and being an educator. With love and support from
his family, he wants to pursue a career in collegiate athletics as an athletic director.
In his free time, he enjoys exercising, watching anime, eating food, watching sports,
and reading. He looks forward to working with the Res Life team to help build community
and a fun atmosphere for LSU students.

Cassaundra Miller (Cassie) will be working as the Graduate Assistant for Staffing and Operations for this year. Cassie joins us from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio, where
she graduated with a Master’s degree in Higher Education and worked as a Graduate
Assistant Hall Director. Prior to Toledo, Cassie earned a Bachelor’s from Bowling
Green State University in Psychology and served as a Resident Advisor, Desk Clerk,
and Summer Assistant. Cassie joined us last summer as an ACUHO-I Intern.

Residential Life & Education

Nick Aniol will be working as the Graduate Resident Director in West Campus Apartments. He joins us from Central Michigan University where he graduated with a Bachelor's
of Applied Arts. While at CMU, Nick served as a Resident Assistant for two years,
was a member of Hall Council and of the National Residence Hall Honorary. Nick was
also extremely active in the Alternative Breaks program, where he served as the Chairperson
for the last year.

Sibel Bargu Ates is the new Faculty in Residence living on the West side of campus with her husband (a teacher and sculptor) and two children. Sibel
is an Associate Professor in the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences who
studies Freshwater, Estuarine and Marine Phytoplankton Ecology, Harmful Algal Blooms
and Food Web Contamination, Phytoplankton-Zooplankton Interactions, Global Climate
Change. Originally from Turkey, she is very interested in meeting with students and
sharing her culture and passion for learning. She received her Bachelor's from Istanbul
University and Master's and PhD from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Halie Brashearwill be working as the Graduate Resident Director in the Pentagon community. She joins us from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee when she graduated
with a Bachelor’s in Education with a focus on adult education. Halie served as the
North Campus Security Coordinator while at UWM. She also worked as a volunteer in
the Women’s Center and executed training for their front desk staff.

Ashanty Coxwill serve as the Graduate Residence Director in the Horseshoe community in the Fall. Ashanty comes to us from Florida State University where she
earned a Bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Science with a focus in History and Anthropology.
She served as a Receptionist for University Housing, as well as working in the Office
of Student Advocacy and Accountability. Ashanty will be in the Higher Education program.

Raeshan Davis will serve as the Residence Life Coordinator in the Horseshoe community for the fall. Raeshan joins us from Towson University where she earned
a Master's in Forensic Science and served as an Assistant Coordinator for Residence
Life for three years. Prior to that, Raeshan served as a Graduate Assistant Residence
Director at Albany State University while earning her Bachelor's in Forensic Science.
Raeshan has also worked with Orientation and served as an advisor for Alternative
Spring Breaks.

Keiron Durant will be working as the Graduate Assistant for Leadership this year. Kieron joins us from the College of Engineering at LSU where he has been
working on his Master's in Chemical Engineering. Prior to LSU, Kieron earned a Bachelor’s
in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arkansas. He previously served as the
Graduate Assistant for Engineering Summer Camps here at LSU and as a Resident Assistant
at the University of Arkansas.

Alyssa Franckwill be working as the Graduate Resident Director in Miller Hall for this year. She joins us from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, where she
graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in French. Alyssa worked for
a year as a Resident Assistant, and spent the last year as a Head Resident Assistant
while going to school there. Alyssa has also served as a member of Air Force ROTC.

Amy Grogan will be working as the Graduate Resident Director in Kirby Smith Hall for this year. Amy joins us from Bradley University in Springfield, Illinois, where
she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Amy served as a Hall Director for the
last semester at Bradley. Before that, she served as a Resident Advisor, office assistant,
and program coordinator in their department. Amy has also done work with Big Brothers,
Big Sisters, Operation Snowball, and other community engagement programs.

Crystal McEntire will be working as the Graduate Resident Director in Blake, Acadian and McVoy Halls for this year. Crystal joins us from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls,
Iowa, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Sociology with a minor in Psychology.
Crystal worked for two years as a Resident Assistant and served one summer as a conference
assistant. Crystal is also a graduate of ACUHO-I STARS College and is a member of
Alpha Phi.

James Zimmerman will be working as the Graduate Resident Director in Herget Hall for this year. James joins us from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater where he
earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology. James served as a Resident Assistant
for three years at Whitewater and as a Staff and Development Intern there. James also
served as a member of the Wisconsin College Personnel Association Student Affairs
101 Program.

Sarah Staffordserves as a Graduate Assistant for Student Success in Marketing. She holds a Bachelor’s in Communication Studies from LSU and a Master’s in Organizational
Communication with a concentration in marketing from Southeastern Louisiana University.
She graduated with honors from Southeastern as magna cum laude. Sarah has experience
with communications and marketing roles in nonprofit and governmental organizations.
She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Architecture degree and hopes to obtain licensure
in Louisiana to practice residential and commercial design.

Daniel Weitznerjoins our team as a Graduate Assistant for Student Success in the Assessment area. He is currently a Clinical Psychology PhD student working in Dr. Matthew Calamia’s
Neuropsychology lab with primary research interests in memory impairments and dementia.
Previously, he earned a MS in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral Neuroscience
from West Virginia University. His career goals include becoming a Clinical Neuropsychologist,
specializing in the geriatric population.

Ashley Segallais a Graduate Assistant in the Center for Academic Success. She received her Bachelor’s in Mathematics as
well as her Master’s of Business Administration from Southeastern Louisiana University.
She is currently pursuing her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction: Mathematics Education.
Ashley plans to teach Math Education courses at the college level.

Austin Thompson is very excited to join the Center for Academic Success as an Graduate Assistant in Academic Support. He is a second-year graduate student in LSU COMD's Speech-Language Pathology graduate
program. As an undergraduate, Austin served as SI Leader for the Speech Acoustics
course within the COMD department. This experience fostered a passion for speech acoustics
and teaching. After completing graduate school, Austin plans to continue his studies
and pursue a PhD with a focus on speech science. He is also the proud father of a
Dachshund mix named Rookie.

Emily Watkins joins CAS as a Graduate Assistant in Academic Support. She has a Bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders from LSU and is pursuing
a Master’s in the same program with hopes of being a Speech and Language Pathologist.
As an undergraduate, she worked with children with autism, children who are visually-impaired,
and volunteered at an assisted living home. She loves working with people of all backgrounds
and in all settings. Emily was a Supplemental Instructor for Acoustics in fall 2016
and spring 2017. She loves the SI program and truly believes it plays an important
role in the academic success of students.

Sachiko Cleveland joined us on August 21 as Program Director for Veteran & Military Student Services. As a 24-year veteran of the Air Force, Chief Master Sergeant Cleveland served as
Superintendent of the 81st Force Support Squadron, Keesler AFB, Mississippi. In this
position, she represented over 500 Airmen and civilians across five varied flights
of military and civilian personnel, manpower, education, professional military education
in 37 diverse facilities and recreational venues. Her responsibilities included advising
the squadron commander on all matters affecting the health, morale, and welfare of
assigned enlisted and civilian personnel. CMSgt Cleveland also assisted with the management
and direction of a wide range of programs including combat and community support,
business operations, Airmen and family support services, personal and professional
development, quality of life and human resource functions for team Keesler.

CMSgt Cleveland grew up in Maple Hill, North Carolina. After graduating high school,
she enlisted and entered the Air Force in 1993. Her background includes numerous leadership
roles at squadron and field operation agency levels. She has been stationed at locations
around the globe, to include, Alaska; Azores; Texas; the United Kingdom and several
deployed locations. She has been recognized with numerous awards and achievements
including: Humanitarian Service Medal, Air Force 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year,
Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy Commandant’s Award, and the HQ Air Force Personnel
Center Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. CMSgt Cleveland earned her Bachelor's
in Sociology from American Military University and her Master's in Business Administration
in Project Management from Columbia Southern University.